Until Next Time
by Anjelle
Summary: Ace expected to meet one brother during his stopover in Alabasta, but this wasn't him.


**So this is actually a two-shot, but each chapter just tells different sides of the same story (This chapter Ace's, next chapter Sabo's) so it's going to be marked as complete until I post the second part. I've already started it, but I'd like to post a few updates to ongoing stories before this. Basically Beddy (Kitsune Foxfire) and I were talking about a 'what if' scenario of Sabo being in Alabasta around the same time as Ace and Luffy. Her half was about Sabo always missing his brothers which ended up being Turning Your Back on the Facts and mine was about Sabo and Ace meeting in Alabasta, which is, well, this.**

 **A warning that it contains spoilers for chapter 794.**

 **Enjoy~**

* * *

Alabasta was pretty alright by Ace. It was warm, a nice, toasty temperature that felt _right_ to him. The notion that that meant the folks around him were probably melting in the heat was both amusing and somewhat tragic. Despite the crippling weight of the climate the people were generally pretty lively, and by that he could only assume that years of tolerance had built up an immunity to the harsh desert. And, well, being on the coast certainly made matters a lot easier. That gave the atmosphere a familiarity that otherwise would not be present; it reminded him of his crew.

Stirring his drink absently, the pirate leaned back in his chair with a contented sigh. One week. He had resigned to give Luffy one week to reach the island, and if he didn't make it on time, well, that would just be too bad, wouldn't it? As much as he wanted to see his brother after the years they'd been apart, he had a traitor to find. A murderer to kill.

It didn't matter. He had no doubt in his mind that his little brother would be there to meet him on the summit one day.

Grabbing a vivre card out of his bag he stared, the blank white paper stark against the background of the bar, still in his hand as his mouth curved into a smirk. On and off he'd been wondering if he could get Luffy's vivire card, as well. But the little shit got himself into so much trouble that seeing that paper burning every other goddamn day wouldn't be good for his nerves…

Snickering, he shoved it back into his bag and resumed his task of shovelling food into the black hole beneath his nose, the spread before him half devoured as he grabbed more meat off his plate. He remembered eating like that as a brat, too. Shit, Luffy being there probably made him worse for it; if he didn't eat fast and protect his food the little imp wouldn't resist taking extra portions straight from his plate. It didn't take much to fight him off, of course - he was a lot stronger no matter _how_ much Lu trained - but turning every meal into a sparring match was exhausting. They'd always needed someone to mediate…

He thought nothing of the ignorable creak of the door at his back, the sultry gust that brushed in past him from the outside desert as yet another patron sought refuge within the tiny restaurant and bar, the growing number of customers there leaving little room to sit. Ace had a booth. He wasn't really feeling like sharing, either, because the plates from his current meal covered the vast majority of the table. But as he ate and his thoughts died down into a dull, near-silent mess of absent wondering he allowed his eyes to flicker up, settling on the tall stranger as he observed the others seated about. A peculiar swell of familiarity was there to greet him when the blond turned his way, but he couldn't quite place what he was seeing - a frustrating reality when green eyes settled on him, and he wondered if he was supposed to know this jackass. Either way that stare brought his eating to an unwanted halt. He wondered if he should greet the bastard, or…

Blondie decided for him when he turned away again, and Ace's shoulders slumped in relief, his teeth tearing into the leg of meat he'd been gripping, but still his attention remained firm on the blond. There was nowhere to sit save a lonely table off in the corner, broken courtesy of a few louses stupid enough to have a drunken bar fight in the middle of the afternoon, and he wondered if the stranger would leave.

Ace's particularly good mood left him groaning, wiping a hand across his face. "Oi," he called, and he felt green orbs fall on him as he internally cursed his crew for making him so goddamn empathetic. Silence passed and he waved the blond over, who easily complied and took the seat directly across the table, elbows coming to rest on the little bit of wood showing beneath piled plates.

It was quiet at first before he heard a politely spoken 'thank you' pass between them, and he looked up to find a smile there to greet him. Nostalgia swarmed his brain and he forced his sight to lower in an attempt to quell the nagging of his thoughts. "Quite the appetite you have."

Ace snickered. "Y'could say that."

"Mind if I…?" The blond gestured to the spread, raising placating hands when he was met with the commander's dull glare. "Right. Sorry."

He rolled his eyes and went back to absently chewing his food, snorting. "I don't share well," he muttered. Well, not with strangers, and certainly not where food was involved. He supposed it was little more than a nasty habit he formed growing up around Luffy and the bandits.

"I can see that," came the immediate reply, an irritating hint of amusement in the man's voice as his gaze scrolled across the restaurant with curiosity. "I never expected it to be this busy."

"'S lunch," he pointed, dragging a plate across the wooden tabletop to begin his next serving.

"You make a fair point," the blond laughed, reaching a gloved hand across the table, holding it there in waiting. "A pleasure, by the way."

Ace watched the hand skeptically, eyes narrowed in contemplative thought before he wiped his hand on his pant leg in an attempt to be considerate and gripped the other's firmly. "Yeah. S'a pleasure 'n shit," came all he could think to mutter out.

The blond didn't seem affected by the less than enthusiastic remark, a friendliness shining through his expression even as he snickered. "Sabo. Yourself?"

He dropped his fork, staring back at the man as the tan of his skin paled. His first thoughts left him wondering whether Sabo was a common name in some parts of the world, but as he watched confusion replace that ever-friendly smile he started to see - the large, round eyes. Fair skin. That damn napkin he always wore around his bloody neck - still there, still present, still that same annoying way he dressed.

He swallowed, trying to fight against the dryness of his throat as his grip on the hand tightened awkwardly, and he murmured a quiet, "Ace."

The pirate watched the other carefully, searching for any hint of recognition, but when he saw none he quickly released the hand and turned away. Nah, wasn't him. Couldn't be.

Confusion fell away, replaced quickly with that same easy grin, and the blond leaned forward on the table, his arms pushing the plates just a little further from his person. "Ace, huh?" He looked down at the wood of the table, the brim of his hat falling forward to cover all but that ever-widening mouth of his. "Quite the name. I figured, though. That mark on your back doesn't exactly leave much to the imagination, Portgas."

His eyes narrowed and he leaned back in his seat, appetite lost as his arms folded across his chest, a casual gesture to hide the nervous trembling of his hands. That name kept ringing in his head, masked by a cocky snort. "Not like I'm tryin' to hide it. I'm proud of my mark." Eventually he managed to meet the blond's gaze, "What's it to ya?"

Sabo waved him off with a cheeky grin, something that tugged at the pirate's memories and left him barely able to contain his frustrated groan. "Nothing, really. I'm just surprised to see one of Whitebeard's commanders this far from the New World."

"Yeah, well, got some business to take care of," he muttered, dismissing the soon-following curiosity and wordless urge to continue the man sent his way. He felt… uncomfortable. Uneasy. Nervous. Above it all, though, was the ever-present pang of disappointment coiling within his chest, still sharp from the cut of the name that had fallen from those lips, 'Portgas'.

He knew Ace's name, knew his mark, knew who he was, and yet no recognition shone through his eyes. Not one glimmer of nostalgia. But Ace felt it. He did. It festered inside his mind like an infected wound, spread throughout his thoughts as their conversation went on and it took all of his concentration to keep his devil fruit in check.

Sabo was dead.

Sabo was _here_ …

"Yourself?" he found himself asking when the conversation died out, fidgeting in place as he tried to shove persistent thoughts as far out of consciousness as they could get.

Sabo raised an eyebrow, apparently surprised by the question, before leaning back against his seat laxly, fiddling with his cravat. "Buisness, same as yourself."

"You're not a pirate."

"Far from, actually," the blond laughed. "Or… not very. But certainly not a pirate."

The commander pressed his lips together, reaching up to adjust his hat, "And why not?" He cursed inwardly, still holding firmly to the notion that the man before him was someone else, a stranger, just a face in the crowds easily forgotten.

Curiosity fell away to confusion but Sabo never questioned it, humming as he thought - sneaking away some of the untouched food on the table, to which Ace couldn't be bothered to care. "It was just never in my interest, I guess. It wasn't something that I wanted."

Ace frowned, watching the other carefully. "And what _did_ you want?"

The blond snickered, leaning forward. "That's a very good question." But he never answered.

Ace didn't expect him to.

"So," the quick change in subject had a sly grin creeping across Sabo's face, one that only caused the pirate's wariness to grow and expand, and he made sure to stay as he was. "Firefist. Ridiculous epithet."

"Oi!"

"But I know it has an interesting source," he continued with a laugh. "Demonstrate?"

"Like hell," he scoffed, glaring dully at the other.

"Come on," Sabo pressed, clearly undiscouraged as he reached across to poke the pirate's arm, earning an irritated growl. The fact that this asshole didn't give a _damn_ that he was talking to one of the Whitebeard commanders was both annoying… and unnerving. _Wasn't I always the reckless one?_ "Something small."

Ace snorted, "So insistent."

"I happen to find logia abilities fascinating," he defended easily. "They're not as bizarre as paramecia, but they're just so interesting, don't you think?"

The pirate thought about it a moment before his sight caught on the dark, discoloured skin of Sabo's face, malformed and healed over and _so familiar_.. He knew marks like that; he'd seen scar after scar, time and again, injuries made by his own ability as he learned to control it, and himself. "Y'really want to be playing with fire?"

Sabo blinked, a moment of honest cluelessness passing him by before he lifted his hand to the scars. Apparently he'd caught the staring. He didn't seem bothered, though, as his smile was quick to make its return, the pads of his fingers running along the damaged skin of his cheeks. "Ah, this?" he questioned finally, tapping the table top with his other hand. "I've had these for as long as I can remember. I'm not afraid, if that's what you're thinking."

Ace stilled, sitting up in his seat.

" _As long as I can remember."_

He ran a hand through his hair, letting out a shuddering breath as he tried to keep composed. Relief and dread fought over his mind, nausea in his gut, but he never let it show on his face. _So that's it._

Sabo looked like he was about to ask something when the pirate grinned, holding a hand out between them and allowing the tips of his fingers to morph into flames one by one, watching the blond's concern morph into fascination. Soon the hand was being pulled towards the top hat wearing bastard, studying eyes trained on the flicker and wave of the logia at work. "That enough to sate ya, asshole?"

The blond's mouth stretched, eyes lighting up as he allowed Ace his hand back. "I understand I should say yes, but no, far from it. I appreciate you humouring me, though."

"S'nothing," he muttered with a shrug, flicking his hand as it returned to normal, a lingering heat filling the air between them, the scent of smoke still billowing about the room of patrons too intimidated to mention it aloud. "Gave me something to do, anyway."

"Oh? Is the great Firefist Ace succumbing to boredom? Well I apologise for not being that entertaining."

He rolled his eyes. "I've been stuck here for days. Everything's boring." He was starting to… relax. Everything had come together in his head, and he resigned not to mention it. But _fuck_ was he confused. And relieved. So, _so_ relieved, and he just wanted to punch the bastard in the face - but he wouldn't. This was too great a moment to ruin.

"Why?" Sabo pressed, large, round eyes blinking at him - and damn it, they flooded Ace with so much nostalgia he felt like he was drowning.

"I'm waitin' for my little brother," he elaborated easily enough; whatever hesitance he felt before had evaporated into nothing save a small, nagging voice at the back of his head. Ten years later and he still trusted his brother. "You got any siblings?"

"None," Sabo answered, and Ace looked away. "I'm an only child. If I'm honest, though, I always wanted one."

He was expecting that. To his surprise, whatever hurt he felt was overshadowed by the moment, and he couldn't be bothered feeling upset. _This was Sabo_. Just those three words and he was smiling, a fondness usually foreign to his expression clear on his face. "You'd make a great brother."

Sabo blinked, and then snickered. "So says the man who just met me."

"What can I say?" He leaned back in his seat. "I'm a great judge of character."

"Are you, now?"

"Sometimes," he shrugged. "But I'd trust me on this."

The blond didn't say anything to that, instead looking about the restaurant before heaving a sigh and rising from his seat. "I should move on. It doesn't take much to make my stir crazy; I like to keep moving."

Ace felt his stomach drop and without a moment's hesitance he rose from his seat, heading towards the door. "C'mon then, blond bastard. Let's get a' move on."

He didn't need to look to understand Sabo's confusion as he followed in line, striding up beside Ace once they left the building. And while the weather didn't affect him, he could assume by the way Sabo removed his cravat and fanned himself just how bad the temperature was. Nevertheless, it was nothing if not comfortable for the logia. "Since when were you invited along, Portgas?"

"Since I decided pestering the blond in the stupid outfit would be a better distraction than sitting alone in that shit-hole the rest of the afternoon. Call me 'Ace'."

His brother made a face, arms crossed over his chest as he stared at the fire user disapprovingly. "My clothes aren't 'stupid'. This coming from the man wearing an orange hat."

"Don't insult my hat. It's a good hat." He looked upwards towards Sabo's own, and it looked… off. "Doesn't feel right without the goggles."

"What are you talking about?" When Sabo received no answer his simply rolled his eyes and allowed the topic to fade. "I have to waste a bit of time until my group is ready, so I suppose it won't hurt."

"Group?" His prodding went unaddressed, but fuck if he cared. Ace didn't know what his brother was doing there, who he was with or why he was with them, but he'd be damned if he'd let the opportunity slip him by. And as much as he had a million things to ask, he wouldn't bring them up. "Have anything ya need to do, then?"

The blond pressed a finger to his chin in silent thought before shaking his head. "Not particularly. I'm just biding my time here until my companions are ready. We're moving on shortly after they get here."

He didn't have long, then.

Nodding, Ace looked him over with a frown. He didn't seem to have a weapon on him - he thought Sabo would at least have a bo staff, considering how frequently they fought using pipes as kids. Whatever condition his memories were in, it just didn't feel _right_. "You fight?"

"Hm?"

"Can you? Got any combat experience?"

Sabo looked confused a moment, but as he slowed down the shuffling of his feet the slow-growing smirk on his face showed just how cocky he was. _Bastard_. "You could say that."

Ace raised an eyebrow, grinning back as he came to a halt. "Wanna test yourself, then?"

The blond looked like he was ready to agree, interest sparked in his eyes and an eager bound to his step as he turned to fully face the pirate - but it didn't last, and his face fell, glancing away towards the sand. "I can't."

"Scared?"

Sabo rolled his eyes expressively. "Of you? No. Never. Of my partner if I cause a scene? Yes. _Very_."

"Partner?" he inquired, but was waved off yet again, much to his annoyance. "Then-"

"And before you suggest we go somewhere secluded: the only place like that is the open desert. And I'm already at a disadvantage."

The pirate looked him over with a snort. "Your own fault for wearing so many layers."

"Even if I didn't I'm still not a logia. You cheat."

He rolled his eyes. "A little bit 'a haki fixes that."

"It doesn't fix your immunity to the heat."

"...Point." He frowned. Damn, he'd really wanted to see how strong Sabo had gotten over the years… For all he knew his brother was all talk and couldn't back it up.

A bit of idle chat was all that filled the space between them as they wandered through the small town, Sabo taking them through the market to have a look at all of the goods being offered as a way to pass the time. Ace had already seen everything, however. He'd been there a few days now and had seen everything at least twice. Boredom was painful, and he'd taken to the streets more than once to sate his restlessness. So he just watched - commented once or twice about just how slow the blond bastard was being - until their chat reached a more… involved topic.

"Luffy?" his companion echoed, hands shoved into his pockets as Ace snatched away the food he'd bought - payback for what was stolen from him at the restaurant. "That's his name?"

"Yeah," he grunted around his food, only taking the time to swallow when he saw the disapproving look he was being given. "Might've heard 'a him. Strawhat Luffy. Kid wants to be the pirate king."

Sabo couldn't help a small chuckle, of which Ace could honestly understand. Even he used to find it absurd. "He certainly dreams big… It does sound familiar, though. Perhaps I heard it in passing."

"He'll do it," Ace grinned. "Just watch him. He's grown a lot over the years… If you're ever in the area, introduce yourself. He'd like you."

"Again with that certainty of yours…" The blond looked further down the road and stilled, Ace's eyes following his to catch on a young, small woman waving them over. "Ah, Koala… It's time to move on."

Ace clenched his fist, his jaw tight as he nodded. "Yeah. I'll see you around."

Sabo waved over his shoulder as he started away. "Next time let's see about that fight."

"Definitely."

The commander remained grounded as the distance between them grew until the pair met up and he turned sharply around, back towards the restaurant, their meeting over quicker than it began. Sudden. But he wasn't bitter, and as his thoughts jumbled around in his head.

 _Don't go dying on me again._

* * *

 **Adieu~**


End file.
